The Accidental Trascendentalist

Just go to the doctor, already

My partner’s doctor is pretty cool. He sends out informative links and blogs and videos to his patients. Not sure he knows his handful of youtube likes are public, because one is an interview with Gwar’s Oderus Urungus, big o’l paper mache dick hanging out and everything. But that just makes him all the more cool, right?

Know what else makes him cool? He doesn’t rush you out the door to cram in more patients. He makes house calls. He’ll answer your texts after hours. He’ll sell you most common drugs at cost. Okay, cost plus the bottle. A pack of antibiotics is a few bucks. Remember the epi-pens that cost $600 and another company generously undercut them for $300? Doc sells an epinephrine kit at cost. It includes 2 epinephrine ampules, needles, syringe, alcohol swab, a little plastic box to hold the stuff, and training on how to use it. This equivalent of 2 epi-pens is $7. The drug itself is $2.50 an ampule.

Know what else makes him cool? He doesn’t take insurance.

Whatwhatwhat? He bailed on the system. He gets paid with a membership fee of $60/month per middle-aged patient (elders are $70, kids are $10). There’s no deductible and no co-pay. For your membership you get office visits and consultations whenever needed, and lab work that can be done in-house. Got a question but don’t want to bug him? The receptionist can probably answer; she’s also his RN. Need an x-ray? Get one wholesale through his agreement with the clinic next door. The clinic he used to work at with the long waits and short visits and doctors who don’t want to take any action that will mean time spent haggling for insurance reimbursement.

I’m bringing this up because people are getting their jimmies rustled about the politics surrounding health insurance. Just putting it out there in case someone doesn’t know about it and finds it a good fit. If you want to look into it, Google “Direct Primary Care”.

Or go back to fighting over the best way to make insurance companies rich.